When you are trying to conceive and focusing on a healthy lifestyle, your food plays a crucial role. The food you eat will have an impact on your hormones, menstrual cycle, and even your egg quality. Along with food, lifestyle changes such as practicing yoga also contribute to the easy conception and safe pregnancy. When trying to conceive, most women may not have the right information about what to eat and what not to eat. This article focuses on top 10 foods to eat when you are trying to conceive.
What you eat when you are trying to conceive will have an impact not only on your health, but on your future baby as well. To ensure easy conception and safe and healthy pregnancy, you can include fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, milk, and milk products, etc. Your diet must be high in protein and also ensure a steady supply of macronutrients such as healthy fats, good carbohydrates, fiber. Micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals are equally crucial. To know more about the foods you must include and exclude in your diet, scroll down.
In This Article
- Top 10 Foods to Eat When You Are Trying to Conceive
- Foods to Avoid While Trying to Get Pregnant
- Tips For Eating Healthy While Trying to Get Pregnant
Top 10 Foods to Eat When You Are Trying to Conceive
Here’s a list of fertility-friendly foods that can help you get pregnant:
1. Whole Grains
Whole grains are a great source of antioxidants, vitamins belonging to the B vitamin family, and iron. The complex B vitamins aid in the production of the DNA and RNA of the egg and sperm.
2. Lentils and Pulses
Lentils and pulses are rich in protein. If you eat non-vegetarian foods, then chicken and pork are great sources of proteins. However, if you suffer from ovulatory infertility, then you may want to replace animal protein sources with vegetable protein sources.
Lentils, pulses, and beans are also good sources of iron and zinc. In women, iron can boost fertility and improve the health of the egg. Zinc improves the balance of fertility hormones such as estrogen and progesterone in women and boosts sperm levels in men.
3. Green Leafy Vegetables
The elderly in your family will always advise you to have vegetables that are rich in color, especially when you are trying to conceive. You may laugh over it, but there is ample truth to this advice.
Green leafy vegetables such as cabbage, spinach, lettuce, fenugreek and broccoli, are an excellent source of folate (a supplement of folic acid). In women, folate improves ovulation, while in men it makes sperm healthier. As a matter of fact, green leafy vegetables are a good source of calcium as well.
4. Citrus Fruits Are Excellent Food When Trying to Conceive
Citrus fruits such as limes, oranges, tangerines, are an excellent source of vitamin C. This critical nutrient helps in maintaining and improving your reproductive health. Additionally, in women, vitamin C helps maintain hormonal balance and regulates menstrual cycles.
In men, vitamin C is essential in enhancing sperm health and motility. To get your daily dose of vitamin C, you may eat whole fruits or enjoy a glass of juice extracted from citrus fruits.
5. Fish
Fishes such as salmon, mackerel, catfish, shrimp and so on are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. This important nutrient aids fetal development and growth, in tandem with protein.
The omega-3 fatty acids you get from fish stay in your body for several months and aid the brain and eye development of the future fetus. Fish is also a good source of vitamin D which is essential for strong bones and teeth.
[Read : Fertility Foods For Men]
6. Eggs
Eggs are a good source of vitamin D, which plays a vital role in improving the quality of both the egg and the sperm. This makes eggs an important fertility-boosting food that one must consume when you try to conceive.
7. Dry Fruits, Particularly Almonds
Dry fruits, particularly almonds, are an excellent source of vitamin E. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that protects the DNA of both the egg and the sperm. This vital nutrient gives your fertility the much-needed boost as you try to become pregnant.
8. Bananas Are a Good Choice When Trying to Conceive
Bananas are not only food of convenience, they are a great concept-boosting food as well. They are loaded with vitamin B6, a vitamin that regulates menstrual cycles and improves the quality of eggs and sperm.
9. Calcium Rich foods
You may be able to become pregnant faster if you consume enough calcium. Aim to consume about 1,500 mg of calcium per day. Milk, yogurt, and cheese are excellent calcium sources. The same is true of vegetables such as kale and broccoli when you are trying to conceive. Kale is also rich in elements that are crucial for estrogen metabolism.
10. Asparagus
Asparagus is an excellent source of folic acid, which is essential for women who are trying to become pregnant. It contains half the recommended daily amount of folic acid and all the vitamin K you need while trying to get pregnant. Moreover, asparagus contains glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that enhances egg quality.
[Read : Fertility Foods For Women]
Foods to Avoid While Trying to Get Pregnant
Now that we know what kinds of foods one must consider including in their diet to boost fertility and improve the chances of conception, we must also take a brief look at the foods that one must avoid when they wish to conceive. Here are top 10 foods to eat when you are trying to conceive.
1. Alcohol
Alcohol is known to reduce fertility in women and lead to poor-quality sperm in men.
2. Coffee
Cutting down on your caffeine intake is essential, lest it should negatively affect your fertility.
[Read : Is it Safe to Take Caffeine During Pregnancy?]
3. Refined Sugars
Refined sugars are known to increase insulin resistance, aggravating polycystic ovarian syndrome, thereby preventing ovulation.
4. Trans Fats
Trans fats also could lead to problems with ovulation, leading to female infertility.
5. Other Foods
Avoid soft cheeses that may carry Listeria, raw eggs, and foods containing high levels of vitamin A. Stay away from processed foods or ready-to-eat foods as they are high in salt and preservatives which may not be conducive to a healthy conception and pregnancy.
Tips For Eating Healthy While Trying to Get Pregnant
Now that you know the foods to eat when you are trying to conceive, make use of these tips for eating healthy while trying to get pregnant.
- First and foremost, reduce your sugar consumption. Research suggests that consuming refined sugars, usually found in foods such as cookies and candies, and in sugar-sweetened beverages, can decrease your chances of getting pregnant.
- Practice proper food hygiene always. Food poisoning is harmful to everyone, but it is especially harmful to those trying to conceive. Additionally, some foodborne infections can negatively affect your baby’s health even before you conceive!
- Give up smoking. Nicotine may affect your chances of getting pregnant. Avoid second-hand smoke as well.
- In order to improve fertility, avoid processed soy products. Steer clear of processed soy products like powders and energy bars. The soy protein isolates found in some of these products are thought to mimic estrogen, potentially upsetting your hormonal balance.
- In addition to all these must-have and must-avoid foods, do not forget to take your prenatal vitamins and get enough folic acid to ensure comprehensive nutrition when you are trying to conceive. Apart from having a nutritious and balanced diet, ensure that you maintain a healthy weight and keep active.
While you include the top 10 foods to eat when you are trying to conceive, you can always talk to a gynecologist or a fertility specialist for detailed dos and don’ts and healthy practices that can encourage quick conception.
Have a happy, safe, and Successful Pregnancy!
Read Also: Top Healthy Pregnancy Tips To Conceive Fast
